Vaping Bahamasair Captain Fired After Threatening Snitching Co-Pilots

Hats off to First Officer Blunt.

@ Miracle Over the Mojave -- Hah, well played!

I don't know anything about Bahamasair maintenance and flight ops, but they do run a slack operation in customer relations. After they tore the wheel off my checked bag last winter and I filed a claim, it was months before I heard from them at all. Then they requested a ridiculous amount of data about the bag and flight, including re-requesting the data I had already given them with the claim.

It was a cheap bag so I gave up, but it left me wondering about all aspects of that airline.

Threatening those who report misbehavior is considered retaliation in any organization (though it's usually directed at the management of an origination, and not line staff), and very few organizations will allow themselves to be perceived as allowing such behavior.

In effect, the captain asked to be sacked, and his wish was granted.

The Bahamas are not necessarily known for their strict labor laws (particularly regarding cruise lines with vessels flagged there). However, the airline being owned by the government really did leave no choice. I definitely don’t want a loose cannon hothead captain in control of my flight. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out - nobody wants to clean ass prints off the door.

HA!

"Don’t let the door hit you on the way out - nobody wants to clean ass prints off the door."

I love your posts. By stealing them, I appear much more amusing than I really am on other boards! 🙂 🙂 🙂

Years ago we had a 747-100 copilot that would smoke under the old roof sextant mount. Pop it open to get rid of the smoke.

Just doing my civic duty, paraphrasing Matt Groening and David X Cohen.

BahamasAir is a miserable operation - rarely do they get out a flight out within 30 mins of sked.

Lazy ass old Bahamian flight attendants sit on their fat asses the entire flight and don't offer so much as a glass of water.

Sad excuse of an airline bankrolled by the Bahamian government employing most of their cronies.

The captain sounds like a douche. If you can’t go thirty minutes without vaping you have a serious addiction problem, and should be stood-down until you’ve addressed your drug problem. I doubt it was that serious, though - he’s just an asshole who thought he could act however he wanted without consequences. The reason people act like this is because everyone lets them get away with it… except this time, which is great. The airline is better off without him.

Although I hear where you’re coming from in general…

A) I’m not excusing his behavior, but it’s in reality much more than 30 minutes without vaping when you include time prepping for the flight, walking around the aircraft, and so on. It’s not like vaping is only banned when the aircraft is in flight.

B) Taking the above into account, pilots worldwide have some of the “worst” access to mental health/substance abuse of any job. It may be covered by their insurance, but pretty much any reported counseling or medication will get their ticket pulled. Pilots are highly disincentivized to take any action for their own mental or physical health.

So, from the outside looking in at the intrepid aviator from the article, it’s super fun to say “you have a problem, deal with it.” In reality, the solution to both problems (vaping, and evidently anger) are just out of reach for most pilots.

@Bobo, aside from the previously mentioned (and accurate) issues with UP, they do have great IFE, if not on screens. If you've ever been on an inter-island flight, the shouts of "Lawdie!" when flying through convective turbulence is world class.

Bahamasair is my national airline but the airline's response to his profound arrogance would be appropriate at ANY airline, not just Bahamasair. I'm glad they terminated him. There's no room in professional aviation for arrogance at any level.